Uriah Levy: Reformer of the Antebellum Navy (review)

Ira Dye, historian and retired naval officer, has succeeded in the daunting task of recounting the life of Uriah Levy, an important antebellum figure in the U.S. Navy. Skillfully connecting the dots using meager written records, Dye has produced a well-written and engaging story of an officer who faced the difficult challenges of a mostly peacetime military career in the antebellum period, while at the same time experiencing daily anti-Semitism at the hands of his subordinates, peers, and superiors.

Born into a prominent Philadelphia Jewish family, Levy ran away to sea and the merchant service in 1802 and rose to command his own ship at the tender age of nineteen. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1812 where he served until his death in 1862. In addition to his naval service, Levy turned shrewd real estate investments into a personal fortune and used it to purchase Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, saving it from ruin. During his fifty years on active duty, Levy did not see combat, but he served faithfully in peace and in war and his life story provides a wonderful glimpse into the social history of the U.S. Navy. Dye reveals the frustrations endured by ambitious officers while serving under a system that rewarded longevity over merit. He also sheds light on the navy's often close knit, yet just as often dysfunctional, wardrooms. Petty disagreements, misunderstandings, perceived and genuine slights, and very real prejudice could and did lead to discord on board U.S. Navy ships. Levy experienced it all and, indeed, was responsible for many of the problems he encountered along the way.

Levy was arrogant, proud, loud-mouthed, and hot-tempered and was often unpleasant and insulting to his fellow officers. Because of his "prickly" personality, Levy was often in conflict with his fellow officers. These confrontations led to one duel in which Levy killed an officer in 1816, and several courts-martial. While Levy and others claimed that many of these difficulties were due to anti-Semitism in a predominately gentile officer corps, Dye objectively observes that "most of his problems were the result of his own behavior" (p. 105). It is not surprising that Levy was one of those officers selected for removal from the officer corps by the 1855 Efficiency Board, although he was reinstated in 1857.

On the other hand, Levy could be a steadfast friend and comrade and he was an enlightened and dynamic leader, especially to his enlisted crewmembers. Dye's account of Levy's attempt to create a more positive leadership climate while commanding his first ship reveals just how tradition bound and resistant to change the U.S. Navy was between the War of 1812 and the Civil War.

Dye's use of neglected sources such as court-martial records help fill in the gaps in Levy's career and shed considerable light onto the state of the naval officer corps. The author's own thirty-year naval career provides insights into navy life that many historians might have missed. However, the book's title is a bit misleading. While Levy did try to implement a more enlightened command philosophy and vigorously opposed corporal punishment, he was certainly not a reformer in the same league as Robert Stockton, Samuel Francis Du Pont, and Matthew F. Maury. Also, the book is very expensive at $59.95. It will be a shame if the high price scares potential readers away. Those quibbles aside, this is an important book in helping to understand the antebellum naval officer corps, and Dye has done a great service by telling Levy's story. This book will appeal to naval historians and anyone interested in the antebellum military.